“What is important to God is that we are human beings and that we live in mutual love.” Interview with Claude Gamble, pioneer of the Focolare Movement in Morocco. After his apostolic journey to the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis himself said that his trip to Morocco was another important occasion “to further develop interreligious dialogue and mutual understanding among the faithful of both religions”. Claude Gamble, who was there at the beginning of the first Focolare communities in Morocco, offers us a few brief glimpses into his experiences… What are the challenges for Christians in Morocco today? The challenge is to build bridges. Today we are going through a phase of extremism that involves everyone, Christians and Muslims. In poor neighborhoods it is very dangerous because people are being radicalized into following extreme ideas. For example, a few times in Tangiers, while we were going to mass with a group of people who share the spirit of the Focolare, stones were thrown at us in order to intimidate people outside the church. But we believe in universal brotherhood. We have to bear witness to it. It might take a long while for some people to accept our offer of friendship. In Algeria, where I lived, I found many examples of brotherhood. Every time I went to visit a family I felt at home. They were all Muslims but we were brothers. Friendship is the antidote to extremism. What is important to God is that we are all human beings and that we live mutual love between us. What can we expect from this journey on the pathway to dialogue? Dialogue is not the search for those who have the truth, because God alone has the truth. I believe that the Pope, as a representative of the Catholic Church, can show how he lives as a Christian. This is his experience and, as such, it is not something to refute or argue against. Especially since it is clear that he comes in peace. The beauty of the Arab way of being is their hospitality. Therefore they will welcome the Pope as a dear brother. The meeting between the Pope and the King is an invitation to go ahead together for the good of all humanity. In the Focolare Movement we talk about dialogue but also about “communion”. Living in communion means that I can speak as a Christian, and you can speak as a Muslim, but it is by sharing experiences that we can live together. This is something that can only be done at the level of personal relationships – because dialogue has to be one to one, face to face. How can people of different faiths and beliefs feel as if they are brothers and sisters? At the human level it is necessary to value what we have in common. In the Koran all the suras, except one, begin with the phrase, “In the name of God, the Merciful.” With the word mercy a Muslim comes very close to what we mean by love. So with Muslims we can share the word mercy, which comes from the term rahma which means the mother’s womb, the cradle of life. And God, who is mercy, reminds us of the love of a mother who takes care of her child. It’s the same with the Hebrew word rehem, which has the same semantic root as rahma, and also refers to the mother’s womb. So for the Jews, too, the mercy of God means that we must have the love of a mother for the others. For atheists it is the same: an atheist who believes in humanity, believes in motherly love for others. It was 800 years ago that St. Francis met the Sultan al-Kāmil as a sign of peace. St Francis then sent the first friars to Morocco. Since then the presence of the Franciscans in that country has always been met with great respect. It was in Morocco that the Friars Minor let them be put into prison in order to give courage to the other prisoners. Two of them were martyred. Recently the Vicar General of Tangiers rediscovered more than 160 letters in the Spanish and Moroccan libraries that had been written between the Franciscans and the Sultans of Morocco. In these letters the Sultans expressed appreciation for the work done by the Franciscans and thus a deep respect for the Catholic Church. The current King of Morocco has asked for the book in which these letters are collected in order to learn about this ancient relationship. Ultimately, what common ground can there be between Christians and Muslims? What we do have in common is God. Here is my answer to those who say that we do not have the same God. It’s like in a family where there are several children. When disciplining his first child, the father may have been fairly tough or severe. The last child may perhaps have been treated like the favorite. If you asked both of these children to describe their father, the first might describe the father as someone who inspired fear, while the second might only give examples of the father’s love. They are both describing the same father, but they have each seen him from different angles.

Claudia Di Lorenzi